Christmas Day - A Feast

Christmas morning we headed to Cedarburg to celebrate with Chris' parents.  Ryan and Veronica were in Poland visiting her parents this year, so it was a smaller celebration with just the four of us.  However, gift-wise and food-wise I swear there was enough for 20 people.  Among many things, I was surprised with the gold Michael Kors watch I have been coveting that both Sue and Veronica wear.  I try to keep up with my fashionable sister-in-law and you can too by checking out her blog Chic All Over.

Sue wanted to make a "feast" that day and that is exactly what she did.  First up was making the eggplant bruschetta by breading and frying the eggplant.  I liked Sue's breading station trays from Williams Sonoma; she seriously has every kitchen gadget/appliance/servingware that you can think of.

Here is the finished product:  two layers of breaded eggplant and fresh mozzarella cheese topped with homemade bruschetta and a balsamic vinegar reduction.  Besides being a perfect summer meal, bruschetta also makes a colorful Christmas dish!  This dish was beautiful.

We skipped making the healthy dried cherry & walnut salad and forged ahead with this toasty italian cheesy bread that I have shared on this blog before.  It is a calorie-free recipe as the topping is a mixture of mayo, garlic and different cheeses....

Combined with the main dish of eggplant parmesan were two other main dishes; spinach lasagna and three-cheese chicken with penne pasta.  Here is my heaping plate!

For dessert, Italian Love Cake.  A chocolate cake with a cheesecake center and a chocolate whipped topping.  Is this picture perfect or what!!

 

 

We took home a ton of leftovers which has fed us for 4 meals now, including dinner again tonight.

 

We hope everyone enjoyed their holiday by spending time with family, keeping up with traditions and creating memories.  Happy New Year!